I am relieved to be back in Chicago, even if it is for a mere week. The tall buildings and constant movement in the city are always comforting. A friend of mine asked me why I would ever leave the city for Northeast Ohio, he added, "don't you know that once you come to Northeast Ohio you can never escape!" I will never become an example of that phrase; the city life is for me with no questions asked.
My first day back I had the delightful opportunity to show off Chicago to my friend Taylor and his sister. We had tickets to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Saturday night. It was a quick trip for them as Taylor's sister was not on her spring break and had to return to Pennsylvania for classes on Monday. Nonetheless, they experienced the whirlwind view of the city, complete with Chicago style pizza, Millennium Park, Chicago Cultural Center, Art Institute of Chicago, and multiple rides on the CTA.
Family visits crowded the rest of the weekend. It was the perfect prelude to the rest of my busy week, a week filled with reading and writing for two research papers. As I began the reading and connecting ideas for these papers, one focuses on the Pantheon the other compares the artwork of Frederic Remington to that of Western Native Americans, I realized that I completely enjoy researching. The task always sounds dull and slow, but I've found it is the most interesting thing. I'm able to find some piece of information in one book then discover a similar idea or, even better, a contrasting one in another book or journal. The whole process fuels my interest, often strengthening my passion for the topic.
Now my only challenge lies with the task of converting my interest into equally captivating words. Wish me luck! The results are yet to be determined but I have all hopes that they will be satisfactory.
...carolyn
3.15.2010
Nice Weather Makes Ice Cream Taste Better
In the same way that a muffin tastes better with a spoon, warm weather makes the flavor of ice cream so much more satisfying. The whole thing is mental but when the temperature rises into the mid sixties on an early day in March who wouldn't be excited for the cold promise of hot summer days that ice cream gives.
David, Tyler, Nick and I couldn't resist the coolness of ice cream and the temptation of a last minute adventure before the warm day drew to an anticlimactic ending with architecture history class. We practically ran from studio down to where David's car was parked, our excitement was so high. The windows rolled down and music jumping from the speakers, David pulled out onto Main St. without any other directions save for the group craving of a cool sweet treat. After little discussion, we pulled into a Dairy Queen a few minutes away from downtown Kent. The restaurant was empty but hardly dampened out spirits as we each ordered different flavored Blizzards. We went outside to sit, eat our ice cream, and enjoy the beautiful day.
The short excursion was refreshing; it felt good to be so carefree. I was, and am still, lucky to have such fun and spontaneous friends. It is spur-of-the-moment ideas like the ice cream run that will keep us close and sane during our studio career.
In short, thank you to my studio friends for being wonderful.
...carolyn
David, Tyler, Nick and I couldn't resist the coolness of ice cream and the temptation of a last minute adventure before the warm day drew to an anticlimactic ending with architecture history class. We practically ran from studio down to where David's car was parked, our excitement was so high. The windows rolled down and music jumping from the speakers, David pulled out onto Main St. without any other directions save for the group craving of a cool sweet treat. After little discussion, we pulled into a Dairy Queen a few minutes away from downtown Kent. The restaurant was empty but hardly dampened out spirits as we each ordered different flavored Blizzards. We went outside to sit, eat our ice cream, and enjoy the beautiful day.
The short excursion was refreshing; it felt good to be so carefree. I was, and am still, lucky to have such fun and spontaneous friends. It is spur-of-the-moment ideas like the ice cream run that will keep us close and sane during our studio career.
In short, thank you to my studio friends for being wonderful.
...carolyn
3.08.2010
No News is Good News
Not too much has been going on about studio. At least nothing super exciting. But I guess no news is good news.
We've been working with Raum Plan and Plan Libre; concepts created and developed by Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier respectively. The Moller House and Villa Stein served as our prime examples of Loos and Le Corbusier's thinking. We had to reproduce the plans and elevations for each house then construct replica models. I drew for Moller House and built for Villa Stein.
At first I looked sourly at the plans of Villa Stein. Its curved partitions made me wish even more that I had never started the semester off with curves. After spending an entire night, however, laboriously cutting tiny pieces of vellum, Villa Stein grew on me. Building that replica magnified my appreciation for Le Corbusier's Plan Libre by an incredible amount. In addition to the drawings and model, we were assigned to read essays on Raum Plan and Plan Libre. These held a wealth of information and perspective but my understanding grew so much more by building the house. Of course the reading coupled with actually creating a mini Villa Stein was the effective mix but I think the modeling definitely contributed more.
As much as I enjoy reading and gain from it, I think it is most valuable when what one has read reappears in something one does. When I modified my model the things I read in Raum Plan vs. Plan Libre made sense; the physicality of the model was proof to me of what I read. There was something tangible and convenient right in front of me, exemplifying the work and thought process of such an influential architect. It is a thrilling feeling when learned things make sense and become applicable rather than just stored knowledge.
The whole thing gets better too! This week, Stauffer requested that we use Raum Plan and Plan Libre to influence our market program. We'll see how that works out but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
...carolyn
We've been working with Raum Plan and Plan Libre; concepts created and developed by Adolf Loos and Le Corbusier respectively. The Moller House and Villa Stein served as our prime examples of Loos and Le Corbusier's thinking. We had to reproduce the plans and elevations for each house then construct replica models. I drew for Moller House and built for Villa Stein.
At first I looked sourly at the plans of Villa Stein. Its curved partitions made me wish even more that I had never started the semester off with curves. After spending an entire night, however, laboriously cutting tiny pieces of vellum, Villa Stein grew on me. Building that replica magnified my appreciation for Le Corbusier's Plan Libre by an incredible amount. In addition to the drawings and model, we were assigned to read essays on Raum Plan and Plan Libre. These held a wealth of information and perspective but my understanding grew so much more by building the house. Of course the reading coupled with actually creating a mini Villa Stein was the effective mix but I think the modeling definitely contributed more.As much as I enjoy reading and gain from it, I think it is most valuable when what one has read reappears in something one does. When I modified my model the things I read in Raum Plan vs. Plan Libre made sense; the physicality of the model was proof to me of what I read. There was something tangible and convenient right in front of me, exemplifying the work and thought process of such an influential architect. It is a thrilling feeling when learned things make sense and become applicable rather than just stored knowledge.
The whole thing gets better too! This week, Stauffer requested that we use Raum Plan and Plan Libre to influence our market program. We'll see how that works out but I'm looking forward to the challenge.
...carolyn
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
